Bruins at Panthers
After squandering their advantage of having a game in hand as they battle for a postseason berth, the Boston Bruins attempt to maintain their hold on the second wild card in the Eastern Conference when they visit the Florida Panthers on Thursday. Boston is even in points with Ottawa but reside in the playoff spot as a result of having more regulation/overtime victories than the Senators.
The Bruins had a chance to increase their lead Wednesday but again were unable to solve Braden Holtby, as the Washington goaltender posted his third shutout in the three meetings between the clubs this season. The 3-0 loss put an end to Boston's five-game winning streak and created hope for Ottawa, which visits the Presidents' Trophy-winning New York Rangers on Thursday. The Atlantic Division-rival Bruins and Senators wrap up their regular seasons on the road Saturday, with the latter taking on Philadelphia in the afternoon and the former facing Tampa Bay in the evening. Florida began its season-ending five-game homestand with a victory over Carolina before scoring a total of one goal in setbacks against Tampa Bay and Montreal.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TVA, NESN Plus (Boston), FSN Florida
ABOUT THE BRUINS (41-26-13): Captain Zdeno Chara was in the lineup Wednesday, overcoming an ankle injury suffered while blocking a shot against Toronto four days earlier. The 6-9 defenseman registered four hits and two shots while blocking four in 23:25 of ice time. Boston still has a chance to claim third place in the Atlantic as it trails Detroit by two points with two games remaining.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (36-29-15): Florida has revenge on its mind as it looks to return a favor to Boston, which registered a 3-2 home victory on March 31 to deliver a major blow to the Panthers' postseason hopes. Brandon Pirri has a chance to finish as the Panthers' leading goal scorer as he trails Nick Bjugstad (24) by two tallies. The 23-year-old Pirri, who has notched a whopping two assists in 47 games, netted a total of 13 goals in 56 games over parts of the previous four seasons.
OVERTIME
1. Bruins LW Brad Marchand is tied with Patrice Bergeron for the team lead with 22 goals but has gone 15 games without a tally, notching only two assists in that span.
2. Florida RW Jaromir Jagr has been impressive since being acquired from New Jersey, collecting five goals and 14 points in 18 games.
3. Boston's shutout defeat Wednesday was its fifth of the season.